What Life was Once Like
by Cinn
Summary: A brief look into Lucille's life, from school life onwards. Her p.o.v. and exploring who she might have once been. Rating for language. UPDATE chapters 3&4 have been changed!
1. Secondary School

Disclaimer: I only own a few ideas, actually the majority of the ideas as there is very little to go on about Lucille... I don't own her or any other canon characters I go on to use. 

Cinn: I blame this - almost totally - on Jade-Rose's post in the 'What is a Mary Sue' thread... She plot-bunnied me, let's just hope it turns out well.  
And for further notice I'm giving her and English Education as it is therefore easier for me to get the whole school system right - and seeing as that is what most of this chapter is about... Anyone know Lucille's maiden name? Also - I think I may have edited this somewhere, but if I have I can't remember exactly where.

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Chapter 1: Reflection; should I have taken School more seriously?

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Many people have asked about me over the years - about my personality, what I used to do, how I used to perceive life. The answers? They usually change - as I did. My earliest memories of my life are from the start of high school - naturally being able to remember much of primary is difficult - however I was repeatedly told by my mother that I used to line up my teddies with a tin pan on my head pretending to command them as if in the army, but that's getting off the point. So my earliest memories are walking through the main school doors dreading the boring subjects I had to endure. Well, most of them. 

It only took me half of year seven to unleash my, creative, side. Not only in art and music but in more, err, non-education related matters. Yes, that's right, I was a total pranker, and ended up with many detentions because of it - whenever the teachers felt I'd gone slightly too far.

First and foremost were a lot of art jokes, our art room was a real death trap without me helping it along - but there's something about spray-mount glue that just really inspires you. I don't think Mrs. Kettleton really appreciated my sticking all that paper to the desk, but forgave me as it was the first time I'd ever used to stuff, little did she know how many pranks that came into. I wonder if Henry ever got his ruler unglued...

Eventually the creative spirit of anyone gets bored of the same old jokes that have the same old theme, you have to have new and better ideas otherwise you just get bored and don't care any more. And a creative spirit is one of the best things you could ever have. So I ended up using History class as an adventure room. I honestly didn't intend to come up with this one - but I was trying to fix my pen, or change the ink cartridge or something, and I ended up with various bits of pen in various different places in the room - and being quite small for my age I felt it would be - interesting to try and retrieve my pen without the teacher realizing.

Granted - that landed me a detention on the return trip. But it was worth a try, and many people thought it was very amusing.

ICT, German and Humanity subjects weren't really my thing. So the second I got the chance, after three years of the things - in year 10 - I dropped as many as I could and studied: Maths, English, French, Graphics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Art and Music. Physics was my worst. So I felt I'd make the most of it, and being a full-of-life-and-energy kinda girl it was obvious that I would make the most of them for finding new and wonderful ideas for art work, music and pranks.

Pranks and Art were the main two - as finding ideas for songs is a slightly different matter, singing and piano playing are not the easiest things to write songs for, unless you do jazz where it's a simple matter of learning every single jazz scale by heart. So naturally I was the source of comic relief for our year without managing to take it too far. Out of five years I managed to get 10 detentions, most in year 9.

One of my friends - Debbie I think it was - who took ICT had the great idea to tell me how to get DOS up on the school computers. She also knew a lot about crashing computers remotely, well, books will tell you anything, even if it is highly dangerous to tell certain individuals, such as Debbie the year's computer whiz. Turning off computers when people are on games when they shouldn't be ('no internet games' is one of my old school's favorite rules) is highly entertaining. However I think no DOS is also a rule and I once got caught - at the end of year 11 on it, but they didn't care as I hadn't screwed up the computer system and it was clear I wasn't doing as I had a name guessing program up as backup.

So after almost five years of pranks it was only natural that people should turn to me for a very memorable end of year prank.

This left me completely blank for a few weeks. I came up with a long list - just they were either too risky or not memorable enough. It was something like this:

1) Remote controlled car or airplane in the staffroom, with or without some teachers' help.  
2) En masse bouncy ball competition - especially around the stairs  
3) School bands (mainly year 11) to set up a gig in the main corridor  
4) Spiders and/or mice in the staffroom - real or fake, either will suffice  
5) Penny every single door in the school - or the entrance ones.  
6) Stealing the doors  
7) Egg everything  
8) Padlock the main gates - impractical as no one lived near enough and they're never closed.  
9) En masse non-uniform for year 11s only  
10) 3 sheep, with the numbers 1, 2, 4 written on them, teachers searching for the 'missing' 3  
11) Send all the teachers on the hunt for ancient buried treasure - which doesn't exist  
12) Police tape - or other similar tape for quite a lot of the doors  
13) Bucket of paste and a lot of pink feathers and the staffroom door - oh so carefully placed.  
14) Paper in the bells - so either blocking them or having snow machines around school  
15) High pitched squeaky thing placed in a strategic location (staffroom, locker, office)

Granted there were more, but they were the really rubbish ones.

It actually turned out quite a few of them got done on the same day - our school is not particularly renowned for its behavior on the last day of school for year 11s. The main one we did was short out the main electrical system. But because it was summer we still had to go in, and stay there...

Actually I think all of them got done - except the bucket of pink feathers, paper in the bells and sending the teachers on a hunt for buried treasure that doesn't exist.

After that it was a case of having to study extremely hard in order to actually pass my subjects. I'd already done the art exam because of the weird way they do that, but I still had the other 8 exams to do. Which was just over a month of very hard work, and about the same as pranks. My friends say that's a mark of how much work I've done, the more hilarious the prank, the more work I've done and need to relieve a lot of stress. A lot of wallpaper paste was used up in the week before the exam. And a lot of oil pastels - one of my other ways of relieving stress - my hands are still green.

So after a hectic four weeks of exams - not including half term - I was finally able to relax and get back into the swing of the holidays. I did however return to school on Sports Day to return my old textbooks and to watch the Sports Day. I was good at the running, that was it, at school. I did jujitsu outside of school - getting up to a blue belt.

So, as usual with the holidays, they went by far too quickly. And before half my year knew it - we'd spent most of that time in the park so we were all still talking - Results Day was upon us and we had to head into school.

"Lucille! Hey, Lucille!" Debbie screamed, I knew it was Debbie because only Debbie can and would scream that loud.

"Hi, Debbie." I replied, pretending to look half embarrassed, Jade just rolled her eyes at our usual half craziness. But that's how we are, we're just us, we don't bother to pretend or anything and we don't care what anyone thinks about it.

"C'mon, as much as we're all dreading these results - I think we should go and get them." Jade prompted, poking me through the doors - so we assembled in. Register was called out and we headed up one by one to go and get our results.

I'm in the middle - or near enough - so after Debbie and Jade, I too headed up to get my results sheet. My GCSE results, which I've always been kinda proud of stand as this (not as I received them, rearranged for easier understanding):

English Literature: A English Language: A Mathematics 1: A Mathematics 2: A+ French - overall: A+ Graphics: B Biology: A Chemistry: A Physics: B Art: A+ Music: A+

So, 4 A+s, 3 As and 2 Bs. Debbie got 5 A+s and 4 As and Jade got3 A+s, 3 As and 3 Bs. I felt Jade was under appreciated, she's extremely intelligent in general knowledge/useless facts and science and Maths, it's just languages and tech she has slight problems with.

But that concluded our GCSEs and our High School Education - our next step was Sixth Form then University. My chosen A-levels consisted of Art, French, Music and Maths. So plenty of creativeness a go-go and plenty of laughs, pranks and fun!

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Cinn: OK, A+s meant A stars but the button wouldn't work properly. And the point of the story shifted ever-so-slightly, but I think that's the effect of sugar. I would be grateful for reviews as this is my first TB fic, and my first fic in quite a while, I would like to know whether or not I should continue (and what to develop more) and where I could/should improve... Please? 


	2. Sixth Form

Disclaimer: bla, bla, bla - see chappie 1. Also, I do not own Microsoft or anything, and their mention in this chapter is only based on the many numerous occasions in which my own computer has crashed. Also I am not making profit from their mention (this includes Tom & Jerry). 

Cinn: Well, I only have a vague idea about this one, but we'll see whether I totally ruin it or not.

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Chapter 2: Reflection; The Next Step

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So, I get to recount the part where life really starts - Sixth Form College. Where you only study subjects you want to, and get time to do your own thing and be more independent from what you were in High School. 

Naturally I stayed best friends with Debbie (who'd taken Maths, French, ICT and Classics) and Jade (who'd taken Maths, Biology, Physics and Chemistry), making loads of new friends in my subject lessons. I was in Maths with Jade and Debbie for French. But in Music and Art I made loads of seriously cool new friends - not that Debbie and Jade aren't seriously cool - I made more friends in Maths and French too, just not as many.

Most of my new friends in Art are Rockers and/or Goths, but they're fun. In Music they're either Rockers or people similar to me. But hey - they're all cool. In Music they even tried to teach me base guitar, which wasn't as hard as I thought, but I prefer singing and piano. Most of the people in my Music class either are or were in a band, so they know a lot about music. In Art it's just anyone creative - because it covers more than drawing and stuff at A-level. But sketching and using the clay will always be my favourite parts of artwork. With the small exception of Spray-Mount Glue.

Another thing about Sixth Form that was new was the level to which things could be taken without getting detention. The amount of stuff everyone got away with - including me - was phenomenal. At heart I am a pranker, and I had a really bad feeling it would be difficult to pull pranks without getting detentions at Sixth Form - but it was quite the opposite. No one cared - in fact, most of the teachers found them all hilarious. You get treated really differently there, my Art teacher said that I was 'unleashing my full creativeness' and many believed her.

"There's nothing wrong with a bit of fun, especially when there's not harm done..." She would say when she heard my latest prank.

Ah, Sixth Form was fun, and I think many trees suffered because of it. Oh well - the world's getting on fine even without my help.

So after getting though AS levels with the best possible grades, I had to drop one - its school policy, 4 ASs and 3 A2s. So, which? Maths, Music, Art or French? Well, it was definitely not Art or Maths - I like them too much... In the end I dropped Music - I continued it outside of school even more than I did before I dropped it. So it wasn't a big loss or anything.

However it was about this point when we had to think about Universities as well - which not only meant a repeat of the Sixth Form/College incident but we had a lot more choice and had to pick on single subject to carry on with... So Maths or Art? I felt I knew enough French for now... So me Debbie and Jade spend at least 10 lunch times with prospectuses on our knees raiding through them.

"OK, which will be better for Medicine? Cambridge or Oxford?" Jade asked, trying to pull the Cambridge prospectus away from me.

"I dunno - I was looking more Art or Maths - Cambridge doesn't do Art though..." I added.

"True - just give me the prospectus, please."

"Cambridge is better for grouped Sciences - Oxford does single - does it do a separate Medicine course?" Debbie asked, looking through the Edinburgh one. I ended up resigning the Cambridge prospectus at this point as I'd discovered I needed at least AS further Maths - which I didn't have. Maths at Oxford looked equally boring - and I wasn't very likely to get in because again I have no AS/A2 Further Maths. But Fine Art looks good.

Debbie was looking at Computer Sciences in both, while Jade was trying to find a good Medical course... Jade soon ticked off Cambridge as she said the entry requirements were slightly higher and the course didn't quite look as good (I looked and I didn't even comprehend the section that said 'Entry Requirements' Jade however looked and managed to read them). Debbie still couldn't decide when it came to filling in the forms.

We have to chose five or six to apply to in case we don't get the grades for our first choice or whatever. Oxford - Christ Church (Art), Lancashire (Maths), Edinburgh (Maths), London (Art), and NYU (Art). Jade put down all Academic ones for Medicine on each - Debbie put the same ones as me down (for Computer Science) except NYU and Oxford.

It was about this time as well when the discussion about careers came up, a lot. Naturally among friends, but teachers and heads of years felt like they needed to have some influence on the matter - which we didn't want but were forced into the sessions thanks to school rules.

Debbie wants to go into ICT, and she says she's going to design a computer game that will be so popular that every single person in the world will want one - either that or she'll design the ultimate computer that never goes wrong - which I actually believe she'll be able to do. She'll be able to teach Microsoft something then. Jade wants to go into Medicine and says she's going to go into cancer research full time - in the hope of finding a cure - that's slightly less possible than a computer that rarely breaks. But Jade is the sort of person when you've known them for as long as I have you just start to believe anything can be possible.

And then there's me - who just doesn't know.

All I know is that I don't want to spend my life in a boring job in an office where everything is predictable and routine. I want to be happy and do something I enjoy and can be spontaneous. This is a concept that teachers seem to be incapable of understanding. Whenever they ask what I want to do later in life and I reply saying something that I enjoy and/or that I don't know they laugh and say I better hurry up and decide otherwise I'll be stuck in a job with very little or no pay, and I'm just sitting there thinking, I don't care too much - I'd sooner be doing something I find enjoyable with low pay than something I hate with high pay.

So yeah - that's the only reason teachers don't like me. I follow practically everything else they find acceptable, just not when it comes to decisions and work and pay, not including Mrs. Kettleton who is the only teacher in the whole school who understands my point of view on the whole matter... Oh well, the others will get over it.

So before our year knew it - once again the exams where upon us, granted there were only three but I think the hours make up for it...

Debbie's exams finished first - and my last one was the day after. But poor Jade had all hers after ours, except maths which was my last one. Debbie dropped Maths after AS. So whilst Debbie and I were revising and doing the exams Jade was on her own revising. Then when we've finished she's on her own doing exams. Actually - Debbie felt this was best as this way we're less likely to distract her and she can get the grades she deserves. This is also true.

So the afternoon after my last exam Debbie and I were sat in overly hot whether in the park trying to cool down. Which was practically impossible as it's an unusually hot summer (at least so far) so we only got half way near that goal when we bought ice-creams. It was ironic however when we met one of our jujitsu sensei's and had to explain why we hadn't been for the past month because of the exams then signed a verbal contract of going next Monday, as we needed to prepare for our next grading... Woo - another examination. Notice the sarcasm there. At least jujitsu gradings are no where near as stressful as school ones - you just have to remember every throw/punch/kick you've ever learnt and their names. Which usually isn't too hard because they're kinda a give away e.g. hip-throw.

So - yeah, we were sitting around trying to decide what order our universities were in to each of us - we'd all gotten our choices (well the conditional offers) and now had to decide which one we'd go to provided we got the grades and which was the back-up one for that etc. It wasn't particularly hard to do - but there were a couple that were really iffy - but I'm going to Oxford - I should get it because there aren't actually any grade requirements it's just all 'recommended' stuff.

"Oh look - Debbie - it's your boyfriend..." I said, nodding in the direction of the person in question - Kevin. Also putting a handy apple core on the seat next to Debbie in case he tried to sit down - it's a classic.

"He's not my boyfriend, as you fully well know." Debbie replied, she knew who I was referring to without even having to look.

"No, I know that you want him to be."

"Shut-up." She replied, going ever so slightly red - you've got to hand it to her, it's difficult to tell when she's blushing - then attempted a vague change of topic. "How come you never got a boyfriend?"

"Never found anyone worth bothering about. As you know half the boys in our year were only ever after girls who'd fool around with 'em. "

"Well, there were a few who weren't like that. Not many granted..." Debbie replied, she was right.

"Yeah, well, they were the ones we were friends with and never found attractive in any other way."

"True. With the exception of Jade and Rob." I considered this, and mutely agreed.

"But that's the reason it didn't work between them. They were too used to being just friends..." It was Debbie's turn to consider this." Despite your efforts at getting them back together... Didn't you eventually threaten to give Rob a black-eye if he didn't get back with Jade?" I asked, remembering with vague amusement the lengths to which Debbie will take things in what she believes is the best path to be taken.

"Yeah - only he said that I wouldn't because I'd get bollocked for it and that he was a mate. Oh and Jade would murder me."

"Which points were true?"

"That fact that I'd get bollocked for it - and that Jade would probably never forgive me. She wouldn't kill me."

"True - what exam is she in today?"

"Biology, even worse she's got Chemistry tomorrow." Debbie replied, pulling a face, which I soon copied. We both hated Biology. The other two sciences I quite liked, Chemistry more. Debbie didn't really like science, with the exception of 'control in circuits' unit in Physics.

Debbie's younger brother turned up on his bike at this point - he's in year 9 - and reported that her parents wanted her home because her Gran was coming over. This meant Debbie had to go home, change and behave really politely. Ha! Debbie and polite usually don't go - but I have seen her once she's into the role and she pulls it off quite well.

"I'll see ya later then." I said, retrieving half my papers which had been scattered about the table and shoved them into my bag. I didn't have a piano lesson for another hour so I felt I better go find something to do. Going home was not the best decision I ever made. It was pandemonium when I went in, even worse when I left. When I got through the front door mother was berating me for not being home the second my exam had finished to look after my younger sister so she could go out, little sister (Nina) was trying to break the TV remote and TV in one go. Well she didn't mean to but being four she doesn't exactly understand that you don't have to pummel the remote to get it to work.

And Dad, well put it this way, mother chucked him out and got a divorce about 2 years ago. Apparently because he was always an extreme slob, personally I don't know why she was complaining because she doesn't even know the word tidy. I'm the one who has to tidy up. I was always on Dad's side - at least he was nice and understood that I had friends - which I wanted to talk to - as well.

It didn't take long to prise the remote off Nina; however I still had to endure mother's ranting for about three quarters of an hour. Actually I left early and decided to go the longer way so that I could escape quicker. Out of exercise or mothers ranting I'll take exercise, thanks.

She'll have gone out by the time I get back - she always does - so that means that for the five minutes between me getting in and mother going out, Nina will be on her own. I usually find her locked in the toilet holding a screwdriver waiting for me to get in.

Tonight was no different. I got in - the house appeared disserted - first thing I did, knock on the toilet door and shout of Nina. She comes straight out once she knows I'm there. Usually rugby tackling me, or attempting to. Not really, she just hates being on her own that much. She's fine once someone she knows is with her - even more so once you get one of her favourite TV shows/movies on. Tom & Jerry is one of them - and something I can still appreciate the humour of. So that's what it usually is.

Actually, I think because of my mothers shouting and not really bothering to look after us properly has lead to my many pranks and creativeness. It's an outlet, I guess.

So as usual I had to calm Nina down then convince her that she was actually tired and wanted to go to sleep. But having a years practice kinda helps that matter, it didn't take long. I soon went to bed after her, sleeping wasn't exactly an option because as usual I went to bed with many millions of thoughts in my head - which probably isn't too healthy on the brain - which meant I had to shift through them all before I had a chance of sleeping.

So yeah - the week left of exams (for Jade and some other members of the year) passed quite quickly. At which point we were able to hang out around town and do all the stuff we usually did - a favourite was sit in the park and analyse every single person who walked past, especially cute guys - we're 17 we have rights - and talk about every single little thing that came up during that time.

Actually it wasn't long before Debbie and Kevin got together - which meant that we had to accommodate for an extra person being among us and meant that pointing out cute guys was at a low - so we just ended up talking for ages, especially Jade and I, because Kevin seemed to want Debbie all to himself. We weren't to happy on that being imposed on us, but Debbie somehow managed to keep things on a pretty even balance. Like only Debbie would be able to do, I think it may have had something to do with a certain figure-four arm lock... Nah, I'm just kidding, she's very persuasive when she wants to be - she's had Jade and I wrapped round her little finger since Primary School.

So as the weeks went by we ended up being faced with Results Day again, and had another day of the holidays being worried about the results we'd gotten - and how to hide hideously bad results form any suspecting parents. We had some very good ideas for that - none of which are being shared in the potential of anyone else trying to steal them.

It was pretty similar to GCSE Results Day - only more formal and with fewer results to pick up. I was last out of the three of us. This meant an extra five minutes of silent boredom except with the names being called out and another sickly individual going to get their results - when I say sickly I mean that they looked like they were ready to puke.  
In the end I got:

Mathematics 1: A Mathematics 2: A+ Mathematics Overall: A+ French 1: A French 2: A French Overall: A Art 1: A+ Art 2: A+ Art Overall: A+

Woo! I did well, I actually did a lot better than I thought, I thought I'd completely flumped one of the Maths and one of the French exams... Phew. Jade did fantastically - i.e. all A+ - and Debbie did similarly to me only I think she got one more A+ than me.

Which means I'm off to Oxford, and get to live by myself without any of mothers shouting, which I've only endured so that she'll pay my university fees, which she says she's only paying so I can get a good job and pay for her when she's too old to fend for herself... Or she could stop smoking and drinking so that she's likely to live longer and healthier, but that's being stupid. Jade's also coming to Oxford and Debbie's off to Cambridge - which means we're not too far from each other. Jade and I aren't in the same College - she's in Pembroke, which is about a minute away from Christ Church. So we'll be able to see each other loads, and Cambridge isn't that far away so Debby will be able to come see us every once in a while - or we'll go there.

Oh, it's going to be fun!

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Cinn: Hm, this is probably where I start to ruin a perfectly good fic. Anyone wants me to jump off a cliff - ain't gonna happen - I may stop writing this till I get a fantastic idea in which to continue with, but that's about it. 

**starlight wishes** - I do apologise if I didn't reply to you're review, I've completely forgotten whether I did or not. Thanks - the review actually gave me a lot more confidence about this that I originally had. And I updated for you, just hope I didn't ruin it and you'll now come after me with a spork or something... Thanks for the review.


	3. University

Disclaimer: bla, bla, bla - see chappies 1 & 2 - I cannot be bothered to repeat it. Plus don't own MSN. 

Cinn: Well, let us see if I can break the bounds of stereotypicalness - if that is a word. Which it probably isn't so spell checker will throw a complete fit with it... Then again it didn't reject 'smoothening' so there are chances.

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Chapter 3: Reflection; The Joys of Friendship and Studies.

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I'm going to Oxford... I'm going to Oxford... It still hadn't quite sunk in yet, I honestly couldn't believe it - I get to live on my own, and my friends will still be near by! 

Ah - the joys of being 18. I can leave home - and still study Art! Not to mention all the other stuff I can do. As Debbie would say, 'if you even attempt to prank us into Timbuktu I'm not visiting you.' Ah, pranks, what fun they are. Wait a minute - I've found one problem with moving to Oxford, no more jujitsu with Debbie! I don't even know if there's any jujitsu clubs down there, and I dunno whether it'd be the same without Debbie, Mark, G (Georgia), and Liam.

Oh well, I'd better find somewhere or the bloody tiring and painful grading I'd endured to get a purple belt will be completely wasted. Well not completely, but enough.

However that is beside the point - as I am going and there's nothing anyone can do about that.

Jade and I went down first - we wanted to see what it was like, so we went early - Debbie went to Cambridge about a week later. Our rooms are quite nice actually - we soon covered up any area of the room that we did not like with posters - or my paints, which are already half empty and I've only just got here!

Jade has already joined a debate team in her college - and she spends quite a while with the other people in the debate club. Our colleges are less than 5 minutes apart - more like on opposite sides of the street. Debbie is about and hour away by bus - but the internet is quicker and that's mainly how we communicate, which was quite often.

DbbyRulz: Hi Lu!

CreativeGirl: Hi Deb, you seem really happy...

DbbyRulz: I am, I just found out who's in the same college as mw!

CreativeGirl: You mean 'me' - and who?

DbbyRulz: Oh, yeah, sorry - typo. Well, can't you guess!

CreativeGirl: Kevin?

DbbyRulz: Got it in one!

CreativeGirl: Anyone else you know yet?

DbbyRulz: Not that I know of - yet. How come Jade isn't on - I needed to talk to her...

CreativeGirl: She's with her new friends - she's in her college's debate club...

DbbyRulz: I never thought she'd make new friends before me... I would say or you but you can be pretty quiet when you're not with us.

CreativeGirl: And..? So what did you want to talk to Jade about?

DbbyRulz: It doesn't matter, I'll catch her later... I gotta go; I said I'd meet Kev.

CreativeGirl: OK then, bye!

DbbyRulz: Cya!

Great - all my friends have someone to talk to except me... I'm gonna go look around a bit; however my sketchbooks and stationary are coming with me! I may find something interesting to draw... Or someone, but that's unlikely, I don't draw people.

Time passed quickly - it usually does - and after 4 more weeks the term started. I was really nervous at first, but I soon got over it, as most of the practical things I found fun and sometimes easy and the essays and write-ups started off bog-standardly easy and slowly grew up over the first two weeks to what we was completely expected of us.

There was only one person in my class I talked to outside of it. I only met her because we're the two miss-fits in the class. Just kidding, neither of us knew anyone else at all so ended up with a table all to ourselves and quickly started talking. She's called Melanie Tracy, we became quick friends and she was as creative as me - however she plays guitar in a band and not piano & singing lessons. I went to hear them play a couple of times and they were really good.

She taught me a lot about drawing people when we did Anatomy in the first year of our Art course, whilst I taught her a lot about drawing landscapes - mainly when we started Drawing, but also when we would draw the grounds and people in the grounds at breaks and free time. It's what we both liked to do.

When I introduced her to Jade and Debbie she didn't exactly get along with Debbie straight away, who said 'Oh Good God, not another Art Freak' once I said she was in my art class. Eventually Debbie apologised and said she was only joking and they get along OK now... She gets along with Jade OK too - but that's probably because Jade's nice enough not to say something nasty or potentially insulting to her when they first meet.

However Mel and Debbie's friendship lasted a very short time. As Mel soon took a rather unhealthy liking to Kevin, who was devastated to find out was already going out with Debbie. I know because she came to talk to me about it and it was me who pointed this slightly important fact out to her. I knew Mel wouldn't deliberately go behind someone's back - especially with their boy/girlfriend in tow. Debbie however did not share this view when she found out that Kevin and Mel talked a lot on MSN, and therefore believed that Mel was trying to steal Kevin from her. She almost brought me into the whole thing by saying that I knew and didn't tell her and didn't believe me when I told her nothing was happening until I swore it on my little sisters life that I didn't know anything was actually going on between them other than friendship.

Jade stayed out of it until Debbie cooled down - wise move by a wise girl. Eventually everything cooled down and I was able to practise for my final exam in peace - along with Mel as I was still friends with her. That practise was very good help and I came second overall in the class - some boy called Jang Ti came top - which meant I got a good choice as to where I lived for the next year. Summer was well spent as I spent all of it with Jade, Mel, Debbie and Kevin and a few other people who were in various groups with one of us. Granted we all had to return home for the summer - but that meant me and Debbie got to resume jujitsu - which meant that sensei kept enquiring as to why we weren't brown belts yet as we had vastly improved over the last year.

Also I was restricted as to when I could go out and see my friends as I had to baby-sit a now five-year old Nina who hadn't forgiven me for missing her Fifth Birthday Party - I'd sent her present up, granted it wasn't anything special - a box of sweeties and a couple of hair bobbles as her hair is very messy when it's not pinned back. She forgave me eventually. As her five year old memory can only remember so much - and she soon forgot when she learnt that she had to start Primary School at the end of the summer or 'Big School' as she called it.

So returning to Oxford for my Second year was quite refreshing - and I loved it. That was until Debbie and Mel stopped speaking altogether. Personally I think it's more Mel's fault than Debbie's but she swears she had nothing to do with it, well no more than she had to.

DbbyRulz: Do you know what that Bitch has done!

(I'm glad I'm not at her end of the connection - she'd probably have shrieked at me, and believe me, she can be very loud. I knew she was referring to Mel, she's never dubbed anyone else 'Bitch' before and never acknowledged that they had another name.)

CreativeGirl: What?

DbbyRulz: She's only gone and stolen my boyfriend! Not like it's important! I know you only said 'what' in a way that sounded as if you were tried of me not tlaking to her and expecting something unimportant...

CreativeGirl: She's what? And typo...

DbbyRulz: Kevin broke up with me, and the reason he gave me for doing it was becuase he says he loves her!

CreativeGirl: You made another typo - and you can't blame Mel for that! She can't control his brain and mind, you know.

DbbyRulz: I don't care about typos! But she has - she's probably been flirting with him behind my back and manipulating his mind! I bet you anything!

CreativeGirl: She can't help it if she's a similar sort of person to what he finds attractive - you know that.

DbbyRulz: She's hated me ever since she first met me! I bet you anything that she's been telling him all sorts of lies to make him hate me so that he now likes her more!

CreativeGirl: I doubt it - Mel isn't like that. Well, she's never done anything like that to anyone else...

DbbyRulz: She hates me though! You _know_ that!

CreativeGirl: Stop being such a Drama Queen - have you asked her about it? She might not have had anything to do with it. And if she did hate you it's your own fault - you were the one who called her a 'Freak' remember - whilst insulting her interests!

DbbyRulz: I was joking and you know it...

CreativeGirl: Did she know that? She'd known you for five seconds!

DbbyRulz: Shut-up, and who else could she have done something like this too?

CreativeGirl: Other people are in relationships too you know - Jade has a boyfriend, most of our art class has a partner...

DbbyRulz: Jade has a boyfriend? When did that happen!

CreativeGirl: She met him in her classes and they got together over the summer...

DbbyRulz: Oh - tell her to beware of the Bitch then... She'll try to steal him from her...

CreativeGirl: No she won't - at least listen to her side of the story when you hear it...

DbbyRulz: I already know it - she somehow persuaded Kevin to break up with me to go out with her!

CreativeGirl: How'd you know she persuaded him and he didn't just decide to dump you himself because he's decided he likes her more?

(I'm getting really sick of this and Mel isn't online so I can't ask her about it...)

DbbyRulz: I know she did - I _know_!

CreativeGirl: Whatever - I'm tired so I'm going to go to bed now...

DbbyRulz: You always were a bad liar - you're tired of me being right.

CreativeGirl has signed out.

I hate it when friends fall out because they can't accept that the other side of the story might not be what they assume it is... When Mel did eventually come online - I was typing up an Art practical and had blocked Debbie so she'd shut-up.

CreativeGirl: What's this I hear about you making Debbie even more pissed off with you that she already was?

ArtyMelanie: I swear that wasn't my fault! I had _no idea _that Kevin was going to dump her to ask me out... She's having a right bitch at me...

CreativeGirl: She thinks you persuaded him to break up with her...

ArtyMelanie: Yeah - she's just mentioned something about that. But I didn't! I swear I didn't!

CreativeGirl: I believe you - it's Debbie who doesn't.

ArtyMelanie: She says she's going to come to my room and attack me with a knife...

CreativeGirl: She's only pissed off - she's said that to me and Jade loads - we're still perfectly fine with no knife scars...

CreativeGirl: So what did you say to Kevin?

ArtyMelanie: Yes - obviously.

CreativeGirl: What's he think about all of this?

ArtyMelanie: That it's just the reason he's broken up with her... She wants to know if you're online...

CreativeGirl: Tell her I'm not... I blocked her till she's cooled down - or at least till I log off...

ArtyMelanie: I don't blame you... Kevin says he's going to explain everything that I knew to her... Hopefully she'll calm down and not punch him in the nose or mouth...

CreativeGirl: She won't - she knows she's not allowed - besides she still likes him too much.

ArtyMelanie: I feel dreadful about all this...

CreativeGirl: Don't, she'll cool down soon enough, you bet.

ArtyMelanie: Hopefully - oh btw, my cousin says your sketches are very, very good...

CreativeGirl: You've shown them too your cousin!

ArtyMelanie: Yeah - they're really brilliant! Why are you so surprised?

CreativeGirl: I don't show my art to people - I've learnt that they don't usually care...

ArtyMelanie: Some people do - Jeff does - he's over here for a while, that's why I've shown them to him.

CreativeGirl: Oh.

ArtyMelanie: You should come meet my family some time - especially while Jeff's home - you'll really like him, and the holidays aren't that far off!

CreativeGirl: OK, maybe, I dunno...

ArtyMelanie: Aw, c'mon... They're only 3 quarters of an hours walk from here...

CreativeGirl: OK then - as long as you're sure it's OK...

ArtyMelanie: It is. I mean even if it wasn't they can't stop you coming for a day...

CreativeGirl: True...

So that was that - I was going to go and meet Mel's family. Which consisted of (not including her) bother her parents, grandma, two elder sisters and her Aunt, Uncle and cousin who were staying over for a while... Was a very interesting meeting actually - as her Aunt and Mother were out shopping with her eldest sister - her Dad was at work and her Uncle and other sister were playing chess (rather forcefully and amusingly) and her cousin (who's a year older than us) was AWOL at that precise moment in time. Her sister and Uncle were very friendly - and Mel and I soon became involved in "helping" and cheering on their game of chess... Her Dad came home soon after - who again was very friendly and very nice - and joined in - but pointed out that when Mel's Mother got home they'd have to clear it away or "suffer the consequences" because she'd want to make dinner to which Mel's middle sister (2nd oldest called Carol) replied "She won't care - she'll only join in with the 'helping' you lot always attempt."

This was evidently very true - it appeared a game of chess between Carol and her Uncle was an event not to be missed... Because when Jeff finally turned up he looked remotely disappointed in missing out on all the fun. Meeting him was fun though - once I saw him Mel introduced us. Almost immediately I had to give her the good ol' you-never-said-your-cousin-was-cute look. Which she replied to with the I'm-related-to-him-I-don't-see-it look...

"Are you the one who does the really good art?"

"You mean sketches..." Mel hissed under her breath. I'm guessing she meant that he'd only seen sketches I'd done because she's usually saying I'm good at most Arty things (except drawing people).

But anyways we got talking about Art - well Mel and I did - Jeff sort of listened looking a little bit confused. Either that or he always looks a bit confused. Then dinner was ready - so we ate - then I discovered that Carol had done a degree in Mathematics and Lois (the eldest of the three) was very musical and was on grade 10 for singing and was trying to start a singing career. Then we got onto Jeff's career - he had just joined the US Air Force. That conversation was on for _ages_! It was really interesting - and he seemed really passionate about it - I like people like that who are passionate about what they do and what they like...

However some people think things like that are boring and get tired quickly and make people go off and do something else... For example Mel takes very little interest in that and shooed him off to go and do something else so we could talk.

Which we did - we stayed up till 12:00 talking then were told to shut-up and go to bed. We didn't exactly do that - we went to bed (or in my case a sleeping bag) and carried on talking.

I could only spend the day there as my mother was practically ordering me home to look after my little sister for the Easter Holidays. This meant I had to leave rather quickly, but I ended up with Lois and Carol's email addresses because Lois said she usually needed someone to talk to about music and because Carol wants to just randomly talk. That should prove to be interesting.

Debbie was irate when she found out I'd been to Mel's house after she was the sole reason Kevin broke up with her, not like Debbie hasn't tried to do the same to Mel. Apparently Kevin trying to calm her down didn't go too well, and she's still pissed off with most things - and I couldn't escape as Jade was still in Oxford with her boyfriend as was Mel, and Liam, Georgia and Mark would want Debbie with us. So I had to endure her ranting without trying to inflict it upon everyone or _any_one else.

Believe me - it's not fun.

Going back to Oxford was a _big_ relief as I no longer had someone down my throat 24/7. However end of year pressure was again upon us and it meant stress levels were raising. This meant I had to block people on MSN for the simple reason that they were annoying me and I kept snapping and being mean so I was trying not to be. Unfortunately Debbie knows how to get round blocking now and uses it frequently. There was only one person I did not block, and that was because I couldn't stand being in a position where I couldn't talk to him, and I rarely got to talk to him anyways.

However her exams soon took over and she shut-up. Jade says that her revision suffered because of Debbie. Mel and I didn't have revision this year as to pass we have to have satisfactory records in all courses. When we found out we'd passed we were ecstatic because we'd been dreading failing for at least 4 weeks.

It was then that I finally permitted people to talk to me on MSN again and I was flooded with angry messages about it - but they got over it.

DbbyRulz: _Finally_! You've unblocked me! How _dare_ you block me!

CreativeGirl: I was stressed you know - so it was either that or I treat you with the same annoyance as you've treated me with ever since Kevin broke up with you - and don't bother trying to explain it was Mel's fault 'cause it wasn't...

DbbyRulz: How dare you! You _know_ I'm right! I can't believe _you_ believe her!

CreativeGirl: Well - put it this way - she's explained it and taken the whole thing in a much more mature way than you have - all you've done is point the blame on her. She's actually explained her point of view on the whole thing...

DbbyRulz: I've got to go - I need to revise - because _some_ of us still have exams you know.

Whatever, I don't care - all I've been is something for her to bitch about Mel to for the past month so I don't really care if she never speaks to me again. She deserves it. Oh - someone else is trying to talk to me.

JT: Hello.

CreativeGirl: Hi

JT: Congratulations on passing your 2nd year... Mel just told me.

CreativeGirl: Thanks. How's the Air Force career going?

JT: OK - you probably aren't interested...

CreativeGirl: No really - I am - I like it when people really care about what they do... It shows uniqueness.

JT: You're one smart and unique kid...

CreativeGirl: I'm not a kid! I'm _only_ 1 year younger than you...

JT: Cool down! I was only kidding - what is it with girls your age? Mel hates being called 'Little Cousin'...

CreativeGirl: Because we've been used to being called kids all our lives and now we know we aren't anymore and don't want people trying to pass us off as kids - we don't like being looked upon as if we don't know anything.

JT: That _would_ explain a lot.

(I felt rather proud about that. At least the insult had worn off now and I didn't feel quite as offended. Actually I don't know why I felt so offended about it.)

CreativeGirl: See - all you have to do is listen to people's points of view and something else becomes clear - or at least their reaction does...

JT: How'd you know all this?

CreativeGirl: Experience, having friends who can quickly jump to the worst conclusions makes you realise these things _very_ quickly.

JT: I can imagine. Here we're expected to think things through rationally, but quickly - it's a nightmare at first.

CreativeGirl: I can believe that - it took me ages to learn how to head my friends off...

JT: Yeah, I have to go - I'll talk to you some other time.

CreativeGirl: Bye then...

JT has signed out.

I was unusually disappointed that he'd signed out. But Jade came on soon after and got me lost talking about cures for cancers that she'd conceived. I just kinda listened whilst she explained and eventually signed out to go to bed. I needed the sleep.

I spent the summer baby-sitting, which was 3x worse as now all her little 6 year old friends come round and they're all hyperactive little 3ft energy masses. Until about tea-time, then they settle down until bedtime when they suddenly become hyperkinetic again... Mother obviously went out repeatedly and let me deal with it entirely. But I quickly learnt that Tom & Jerry can still entrance them for about half an hour. I got a lot of time to think during these half hours, mainly about Jeff - something about him kept making my mind return to thinking of him. I don't know why, I don't know what. I can't tell whether I like him as a friend - or possibly more. He is the one person who is able to confuse me a) more than Debbie and Jade have ever managed too, and b) in such a way.

Jade came round once - she'd brought Sean (her boyfriend) up to meet her parents and decided she'd come round a see me whilst she was here. Well Sean had gone back down to Oxford after two days and she was staying for another three, so she slept over. I discovered she's good at unconfusing people.

Her favourite topic for that sleepover was Jeff and I. Actually - I let her talk about it, because I felt that then I could try heading her off and she'd never mention it again. That failed.

"And besides, what would he see in someone like me?" I asked Jade, this was the final attempt at trying to prove her wrong, well, wrong is the wrong word but you get what I mean.

"Well, let's see. You're both incredibly smart, passionate about what you do. You've grown up a lot over the past few weeks. You both appreciate good Art - I say appreciate. You both organise things pretty damn well -"

"That's not a reason!" I butted in. I could see were she was coming from, but c'mon - who does she think she's kidding?

"- it is one enough for the purposes of this conversation - you can talk for hours on end with each other. All good relationships are well founded on a good level of communication. Not to mention in any argument or debate you're both a good match for the other. You both have a similar sense of humour." Jade continued - ignoring my input. This didn't really surprise me - Jade's always been able to stick to a topic no matter how many distractions you try to provide. Notice how I say try.

"You're talking nonsense." I said, blushing, as we both knew I would when the conversation began. Granted my hopes weren't exactly dashed with his repeated communication with me or anything and I supposed I always hoped or pretended that there was a possibility that he was at least starting to feel the same way. Whenever I talked to him, whether by email or through MSN, all I could think of was 'god, I love you' because now I could actually tell that I did.

I know I have 4 options:  
1) I get over him.  
2) I don't get over him and spend the rest of my life thinking about him and wondering whether he feels the same way.  
3) I don't get over him, but he doesn't feel the same way.  
4) He feels the same way and we get together.  
I hoping it's either 1 or 4. If it isn't - I'm kinda screwed.

I saw him once during the summer because Mel came up to meet Kevin's family and he'd driven her up - he didn't look too pleased about it - and was bored of hanging about with them two kissing all the time. So I got to know him quite a bit more that day when we hung around the park and continued baby-sitting Nina and Co. He also took Mel and I back to Oxford for our third and final year - in which we got to take an extra subject as a side on course with Art. I was taking French, Mel was taking Spanish. Extra languages were common because it meant that you could work in foreign places (or at least have a better chance of doing so) and were good for travelling on holiday or the like.

So year three - not only Art papers but French ones too. I had the wonderfully insane idea to take French. I guess I'll survive.

Debbie was now going to the length of spamming Mel's email because of the whole boy-friend issue. That's why I'm glad I didn't get a boyfriend - they're too much hassle. But Mel's going to the length of spamming her back - Mel is also a whiz with computers, which isn't a good thing. So Jade and I are doing our best to avoid all contact with either of them - outside lessons - and whenever they talk about the other. So to get back at me for that one Mel keeps going on about Jeff too me - she's convinced we fancy each other. But I'm not going to tell her that - I have many reasons not to.

So anyways - with little communication between friends (and what communication there is, isn't exactly under the category of 'nice') - things are getting a little stressful. Both Mel and I have had to head Jeff of 'seeing to' Debbie because of the emails... An experience I never want to repeat. Jade and I tried to explain the 'Real Story' to Debbie in hope that she'd listen to Mel and they can apologise to each other. Again - I'm never repeating this.

In the end I took it out through my Art and my music. I've always hated modern Art, because to me it isn't Art, but I ended up creating quite a lot of it in the first term of my third year at Oxford. However I couldn't submit it as I wasn't 'specialising' in that area of Art.

Eventually I became very glad and grateful for taking French as it meant that I could insult Debbie without her totally understanding me... She'd given up French long ago... But occasionally bothered to put what I wrote through a translator (online obviously) and then get pissed off at me for saying whatever it was that I said... This was usually something along the lines of telling her to grow up. I once read somewhere that the principal of learning a foreign language was to tell someone to "go to hell" and make them actually look forward to the trip.

Things changed at Christmas. They changed a lot - well for me. I was at a Christmas party with Jade, Mel and Debbie - the last two were at opposite ends of the room giving each others death glares.

Jade and I were stood apart from both of them trying to have a good time, wasn't very easy. Then guess who turned up. That's right, Jeff.

I was sat at the bar with a drink - which I was trying to drink, but that was short lived as he soon pulled me away from the bar and outside into the cool evening air with the excuse "we need to talk". Please don't scream cliché, things have been used in plots so often everything is nowadays, and I liked the way things turned out. I don't care if it's kinda obvious, because it gave me time to think through all possibilities whilst we actually walked far enough to not be heard but to been seen that all we were doing was talking.

I waited for him to talk first; it was his idea after all.

"I'm going to be reasonably straight forward about this." He started, after a long pause, "Would you ever be able to play a part in a long-distance relationship?"

"I guess..." I replied, unsurely, I mean I'd never had a boyfriend in the same area as me, let alone somewhere completely differently. But he didn't need to know that.

"Well, would you be interested in, err, trying one. OK, what I mean is I like you, a lot, and I would like to at least try a relationship with you. It's just that you're here and I'm over in America, well, most of the time." He paused; I could tell he was expecting an answer, who wouldn't be?

"There's no harm in trying is there?" I said, eventually, half laughing, "No, I mean yes, I'd like to try, because I like you too, well, more than a friend." He grinned in such a way that told me inside he was heaving a huge sigh of relief. He kissed me; I guess it's a mark of just how patient I can be. I'm 20 and this is my first kiss. It was nice, very nice, but I don't really have a comparison.

Once we'd broken apart there was a tiny bit of slightly awkward silence then he said,

"We should head back in, they'll start talking..."

"Let them, it's nicer out here, quieter, less stuffy..." I trailed off as he grinned and we again started talking about some of the random things we usually do, well it wasn't actually as random as it could've been. It was about how often we could see each other and stuff, he was only in England for another week, granted he was staying locally, but then he was back in America and work, and his work wasn't exactly the safest there is.

Only after that I had to go back to Oxford and back to stopping my best friends murdering each other. I think Jade was very, very wise to not get involved in any of the whole Debbie/Mel thing - but she has a lot more reasons not to than I did. I was friends with both of them and unfortunately was the first person available for Debbie to rant too. I've never seen her _this_ much pissed off before. I went over to Cambridge around this time and told her too get over Kevin and look around at some of the other guys, which failed when we actually saw Kevin with Mel. Next time I make sure Mel stays in Oxford.

So - yeah - I had a difficult third year because of the social hell my friends put me through. Not to mention a long-distance relationship with one of their cousins, who could very easily end up seriously injured or something. Preparing for my final exam was a nightmare; most nights were something along these lines.

DbbyRulz: Are you still talking to her!

CreativeGirl: Yes - go away - I'm busy...

DbbyRulz: Your status disagrees with that...

CreativeGirl: Debbie - go away.

DbbyRulz: No.

CreativeGirl: Are you trying to make me fail my final year?

DbbyRulz: You don't want me to answer that, anyways - exams are ages off!

CreativeGirl: Maybe for you - but not for me - my finals are in a month! And I have loads of prep work to do!

DbbyRulz: Take a chill pill! Anyways - La Bitch still has loads of free time...

CreativeGirl: How'd you know?

DbbyRulz: The amount of time she's spend getting me back for spamming her...

CreativeGirl: Well it's her own fault if she fails... I'm not going to let _you_ distract _me_...

DbbyRulz: Wait one moment!

CreativeGirl has signed out

So yeah - I took that up with Mel - who said 'yes, she had been spending a lot of her time getting her own back on Debbie.' I warned her about failing the exam, but she said she was fine. So it's her own fault. Jade rarely talks to anyone other than her boyfriend who she spends ages revising with...

Eventually our Art exam came upon us and I passed as 3rd top of the class, Mel passed quite a lot lower on account of a lot less prep.

So year three over with, I had to start my own life. No idea where I want to take it yet. But I'll find out soon enough - or at least eventually. So after being congratulated many times on passing the whole Art course I ended up being back home looking forward to one last whole summer babysitting my little sister, incidentally my mother had no words of congratulations for me and I doubted she would ever even consider it. She was irritated at me for leaving to go and finish my studies meaning she couldn't go out every evening whilst I looked after Nina.

Lucky me, I get to spend _another_ summer doing just that. Though I've told her a millions times I'm not doing so once October comes around and I'm starting Job-hunting during September - she agreed at the time and I haven't let her forget it. But at least I have the added bonus of Jeff coming round this summer - that'll be great.

* * *

Cinn: Well, I didn't quite intend it to be as long as that... But hey - it was. I think I got the cliché down pretty well - j/k I didn't mean to do that, but every scenario's been covered so many times it's difficult not to get into one... My next problem is deciding how to end this - which story of her death do I go to? Hm, childbirth or avalanche..? I'll decide by the time when I need to.  
Mentions:  
**starlight wishes** - you get another mention, because you're nice and reviewed. Also thank-you for all the nice comments in your review - they made me really happy when I read it. Thanks. Also feel free to chase after me with a Spork - it'll provide much entertainment for any spectators and myself, I'm sure.  
**Words fail me** - err, I'm not sure what to think of your review - Fluffy happens to be someone I know from school (weird girl she is) - so yeah. Thanks for the review, even if it was possibly sarcastic.  
**Fluffy** - get back to doing your art - and I have many hits - it's just that out of 200 people (for one of my other stories) only one of them has bothered to review it... 


	4. PostGraduate

Disclaimer: bla, bla, bla - see previous chappies - I cannot be bothered to repeat it. Plus don't own MSN. 

Cinn: Well, I'll admit - chapter three wasn't as good as it could've been - I'll try and improve the basis of it now... If I get this right, I shall hopefully have a nice piece about their developing relationship and her normal life along side.

* * *

Chapter 4: Reflection; Confessions of Fate

* * *

Ah - the joys of the summer - babysitting a hyperkinetic seven year old and all her friends. Add to that the fact that one of my best friends isn't speaking to me, except when to tell me that she's pissed off with me, another is still in Oxford with her boyfriend and the other one comes over most evenings trying to get me to do these annoying internet quizzes. And my boyfriend is over in America having just finished his Astronaught Training. They're going to drive me mad! 

But for starters I'm going to start looking for a job - I don't care that I said I wasn't going to start until September but if I don't start now I feel like I definitely will go crazy...

Problem is I don't really know what I want to do - I've considered Teaching, being a Professional Artist, Teaching Abroad, and Architecture. That's about it, but I don't really know which one I want to do - I probably won't become a Professional Artist because I want to do more than just Art for the rest of my life... Teaching is probably the most prominent one - teach what though? Art, Music (piano)? Go somewhere else to teach them? Maybe even teach a French evening class...?

It was when I was half way through thinking about this - having eventually calmed Nina down enough to watch cartoons without screaming and running around - that Mel came round with some news.

I'd been scanning the newspapers looking for a Teaching job, and had just spotted my old school was looking for a temporary Art Teacher. When the doorbell rang, I answered it and it was Mel and we went through into the kitchen.

"Guess what's happened?" Mel asked, once coffee had been supplied.

"What?" I said, not bothering to guess because I knew I'd probably not get it, and I couldn't really be bothered to either, but Mel doesn't need to know that.

"Kevin's proposed to me! We're getting married." This was my first reaction: shit. My second reaction: that's fantastic. Third reaction: this is one complicated situation.

"Oh, that's really, err, great." I replied, it was obvious Mel knew why I didn't sound 100 sure about what I'd just said. If Debbie found out she'd try and gatecrash, unless she's finally gotten over him. Which, I don't know.

"Yeah, it is. I know about the whole Debbie Thing and I'm still working on that. But it's SO COOL!" She said, loud enough for Nina to hear, walk through and ask what was cool. So we explained it to her, she agreed with Mel. But that was because she doesn't know what Debbie's reaction could potentially be. Once Nina had left with a drink I turned to Mel and decided that it would be very good to sort out the whole "Debbie Thing", as it was now named.

"Have you told Jade?"

"Yes. She agrees with you exactly. It's fantastic, except the Debbie Thing."

"I guessed she probably did. The sooner we sort that out the better. Kevin still lives in Cambridge - as does Debbie - and he'll be telling his mates, and if she hears..."

"Yeah I know. But what do you suggest?" I hate to admit it, but she has a very good point there. If we told Debbie she'd be irate, or she could take it well and actually accept that Mel didn't steal Kevin from her for the sake of doing so. If we don't tell Debbie she'll be annoyed for us not telling her or will take it well and understand why we didn't. It's the first option of both scenarios that are the bad ones...

So as plans were made - and many shopping trips - and everything started to come together there was no word on how Debbie had taken it, or even if she'd heard.

It transpired she did hear; Kevin felt that he had to tell her and had to invite her. Astonishingly she took it very well. Graciously accepted and congratulated him AND Mel. But I guessed it was only because then she could sit in full view of him and try to remind of just what he'd done.

It was a fantastic day. Naturally I went with Jeff, and Jade went with Sean. We all arrived together, the four of us, and Jade and I soon hurried off to find Mel and make sure she looked superb and everything was fine, then to find Debbie and stop her doing anything stupid. Luckily everything went fine and even Debbie was acting maturely, but I guess even she realised how rude it would be to do anything totally stupid and attention grabbing at a wedding. Surprisingly.

So yeah, after the wedding which was the usual boring church thing where you have to remain as silent as possible and be on perfect behaviour. You can imagine just how much could be done to totally ruin it or something, or to amuse us all. One of those things which you really shouldn't find amusing but just do.

The after-party, or whatever proper name they have, was practically a disco type thing where we were all high on something - probably alcohol. Just kidding, we weren't really that drunk, just some were and a couple acting it. It was fun though, and as I've mentioned, incredibly fantastic. Jade and Sean, and Jeff and I were obviously the two couples that everyone felt it would be fun to bet on who would get married next, I mean we're both are pretty close couples. Luckily for Jeff and I it was Jade that caught the bouquet and she and Sean were focused on more. Which meant Jeff and I could spend more time talking with it as just the two of us and dancing together.

Debbie's behaviour was the most surprising. She was being perfectly polite and sociable. Well, mostly, her dancing was a bit debateable on that matter.

Then events that happened in the following few days were even better. For me obviously, I don't think anyone else would think they were more important or anything, except Jeff. Yeah you've probably guessed already - but I'll tell you it all because I want to.

Jeff had been staying on for the week following Mel's wedding, so we were spending as much time together as was possible. We'd gone out to dinner at some restaurant which he said was really good, which was pretty accurate, and we'd decided to return back to my house via the park. I didn't have that much wine - honest - but for some reason I felt like going on the swings. Mental note to self: never do this again when wearing a skirt that isn't longer than knee length. So there we were on the swings talking about everything, some of the latest music, politics, how things were in general etc. when we got onto my finding a job.

"Have you applied for a job yet?"

"No - I've been busy helping Mel organise her wedding and everything. Why'd you ask?"

"The past few days have made me think - and, " He started, getting off the swing taking my hand and kneeling down, which all happened before I realised what was going on "I wondered if you'd marry me...?"

As soon as my brain understood exactly what he'd said I almost screamed I was so happy. I pulled him back up, kissed him and gave my incredibly obvious answer of "yes."

* * *

Cinn: Whay! I've finally corrected everything. I've had to rewrite half of chapter three, and most of this because of the dates of everything! I don't think any of my friends have ever seen me so pissed off, but never mind. I apologise for the delay - as I've had exams over the past 4 weeks and I haven't had time to write any of this.  
Mentions:  
cathrl: Hm, I tried to make the conversations better - I really did! And I PROMISE that most of the next chapter is the whole Jeff/Lucille thing. And thank-you for the nitpicking, I honestly don't care about nitpicks because it shows where I've gone wrong and can correct. Thank-you, I hope you like this.  
starlight wishes: I hope you continue liking my story - and thank-you for calling my writing fab - means a lot. Thanks! 


	5. The Next Step

Disclaimer: bla, bla, bla - see previous chappies - I cannot be bothered to repeat it. Plus some of the things in here are not totally from my brain, they are from what is supposed to have happened and I've worked around and with them. 

Cinn: Right - I can now get all this right as I've learn all the dates and stuff and I don't have to worry about getting it wrong. So whoo! Yeah, OK, some bits were weird and stuff but I was trying to stay away from any possible clichés. This wasn't easy. So - one with the fic.

**Important author note!** - This chapter will not make sense without reading the new versions of chapters three and four. Because I got halfway through this chapter when I realised that I'd made a lot of time errors so I had to go back to chapter three and rewrite. That's one of the reasons this has taken a long while, the other reason is my exams, but they're finished now. So some of the events that probably wouldn't have happened until this chapter have now had to be shunted back into the last two chapters. I apologise for that, as I forgot of all those stupid set timelines and stuff which meant I'd made errors, but they're probably not that important as not many people will have known about them in the first place... Oh well, I've changed it now.

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Chapter 5: Reflection; New Environment.

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I've never been this happy! I'm going to get married to the man I love! Everything is practically ready now, there's only two more weeks to go! I'm so excited! 

It was today when we had the talk about where we were going to live afterwards. Well, we'd already talked about it, but we'd not been able to come up with a good decision. Well, we had, kinda. This was last preparations about it.

"So, we're going to move to the Kansas Farm then?"

"Well, that's what I thought, you're sure you want to though, because I'm not at home often and you've lived here in England all your life..."

"I'm fine with it, it'll be all nice and new, and if I have any major problems afterwards I'm sure I'll let you know..." I replied, grinning innocently. He grinned back, I'd pretty much packed, and unpacked Nina several times. She really didn't want me to leave, because then she'd be on her own with mother, which she didn't want to have to do. She was just about to go 8. Luckily she'd had enough experience to be a tough little cookie and I knew she'd be fine. But granted, I still worried about her. Over the last few months I'd been taking her to jujitsu so I could worry less. I even made sure she knew the number of one of the sensei's so that if she was ever in trouble then she'd have someone who knew what to do. I almost made sure she knew all the emergency numbers, her own address and to be wary of strangers. Also I made sure she knew how to make her own sandwiches, and how to cook simple things for when she was big enough to be able to reach the cooker, in case mother would continue 'not being bothered' with her as she did with me. Also I made sure she knew how to contact me if she needed help with making something work... Or just wanted to talk to me.

So yeah, apart from my worrying about Nina everything was great. Never better.

The wedding, and the honeymoon pasted by way too quickly. Which mean before I knew it I was in America with my new husband and walking into my new home. The farm in Kansas where Jeff grew up. It consisted of two houses, one of which turned out to be an old barn which had been converted for us. His parents still lived in the actual farm house. It was really nice, and I discovered would make some good artwork. It didn't take long to get all set up and to be used to it and think of it as home.

However by that time Jeff had gone back off to work, which made me worried as usual. But I was used to it, and I wasn't the only one. His mother, Ruth, also disliked the idea of the Space Agency career but never complained as she wanted him to be happy and that what he was where he was. It didn't take me long to find a job at a local school teaching Art to Secondary Schools students.

Things got into a nice routine (but I had flexibility within it), during the week I focused on my work and marking and that sorta thing, then at the weekends I spend with Mr and Mrs Tracy helping around the farm, cooking, talking etc. And when I wasn't with them I spend the time drawing, sketching etc and playing the piano. Weekends were always fun, you could talk about nearly anything with Mr and Mrs Tracy, I'd have loved my parents to be like this, it was unusual for me to see my mother for longer than five minutes a day let alone talk to her. Actually, it could be pretty amusing when Mrs Tracy commented on how she'd like to have a grandchild to have to look after, and so on and then you can get carried away in talking about names and stuff and all that sorta thing, mostly being a bit silly about it, well never 100 percent serious if you know what I mean.

Jeff would be home for every holiday, so Christmas, Easter, Thanks-Giving etc and whenever he could between. I welcomed those times, because not only were they a break from the usualness of everything, but I could spend hours on end just with him and him alone. So yeah, insert unconvincing innocent look here.

That's how it was for almost three years, because just before our third anniversary I became pregnant, for the first time. When I found out the first thing I did was go straight to Mrs Tracy and tell her, she was over the moon, as I was. I remember the conversation we had then was along the lines of "what is the worst way in which we could spring it on the two men" we had some good ones too. None of which got carried out, they were told in a nice, normal way. But the look on Jeff's face I will never forget, it went from happy to see us all, too shocked, to ecstatic in a matter of seconds.

Things were still normalish for the next couple of months, in which I had to inform School as they would need to replace me. It was amusing when my year 10 class found out, because they were furious with me for leaving them. I was upset to be leaving because I liked all my classes. But I'd be going back I kept saying to myself to stop myself crying. I didn't manage it on my last day as they got me presents; that was it, I started crying whilst I was thanking them.

It felt weird not to have to get up in the mornings to go into work, I missed it but not so much that I didn't have lie-ins.

I was really lucky - as the predicted date was near enough right. And I was in hospital the day before and Jeff had been able to get home. Actually, before Scott was born I was really worried it would be really painful, as painkillers don't usually agree with me, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Yes it hurt enough, but it was cope-able.

So I became a mother, and I vowed to be a lot better than my mother ever was. I certainly had enough help; Mr and Mrs Tracy loved having a grandson, and were all too pleased to help.

Naming him wasn't too difficult; Jeff decided that we'd name him after a famous astronaut, Scott Carpenter, so that's what our eldest boy became, Scott Carpenter Tracy.

It was obvious at once that Scott was not a quiet baby, in my opinion he was the male version of Nina. Who always wanted something, oh yes I remember having to look after her when she was this age, and it gave me loads of practise. We were home a couple of days later and were still able to celebrate Easter at home. That meant that we soon discovered that Scott didn't turn his nose against chocolate. Well, why not get him addicted to caffeine from the age of about a week...

It was about this time when Jeff started up his business Tracy Construction and Aeronautics. Also it was the start of summer, which meant not a lot was happening until September - when I returned to work, unless you counted farming. So sheep clipping, baling etc. It was all good fun, as I've discovered helping the previous three years - especially baling because some old friends of Mr Tracy's come round and help and it's just really fun and everything. This year we had the added task to keeping Scott from trying to grab hold of everything that came near him - whether Mrs Tracy or I were holding him or he was sat next to on of us at the side. If anything went past him he made a grab for it. He didn't get anywhere - only being a few months old, but he still attempted it.

Summer was fun - and it passed way too quickly. I didn't want to have to go back to work - but I did want to go back too. It's strange. Actually - just before term ended before the summer I'd taken him in to show my year 10 class, that was interesting, I've never seen him looking so worried - he calmed right down once we left again though.

So during September we got back into a nice routine - I worked during the week and looked after Scott in the evenings and weekends. Mrs Tracy was all to keen to look after him during my working hours - and more.

As time went on Scott became more and more adventurous - to the point where he did pull down a pair of curtains in the attempt of climbing up them. This was when he was just over a year old and had started walking/crawling around as much as he could in search of interesting things to do and find. He also knew how to ask for what he wanted; he was especially good at shouting. The only way we managed to get him to attempt to say please was by saying that he wouldn't get his dinner if he didn't. He got as far as "ple" before he gave up.

Another thing was that he hated me leaving him every morning - it's not that he didn't like his grandparents or anything - and so eventually I was starting to give in. It was one of those times when Jeff was home, when he was talking about how he'd finally been given a mission to go to the moon as his last ever mission before resigning and going to his company full-time. Actually, it saved me having to start the topic as Jeff had seen how Scott behaved just before I headed off to work one morning. And it was decided, after a long discussion, that there was no more need for me to continue working, and therefore I could stay at home with Scott and Mr and Mrs Tracy. I know people say you can pick up habits off your parents, I think the same is true for children, Mr & Mrs Tracy usually got called Grandpa & Grandma by me now, as I was so used to hearing Scott call them that and having to say "Grandpa" or "Grandma" to get Scott to understand who I meant.

I got a lot closer to Scott over the days when I didn't have to work - naturally - and it was fun to be just the three of us when Jeff was home without me having to worry about my work. What was batter with Jeff now moving to his business - after his final mission - then he'd be home a lot more too.

A few months later I discovered I was pregnant - again. The timing of my finding out wasn't the best ever, I found out just before Jeff was leaving again - for some more training missions, but no matter. Explaining to Scott made up for that, getting him to understand what "brother or sister" meant wasn't very easy, but was eventually conveyed.

It was also interesting to convey the point of him not climbing onto me and hitting me in the stomach by accident. To be more careful, he didn't understand why really, but then again at just under three you wouldn't expect him too. It was about this time when he discovered the exact wonders of TV - and the numerous buttons on the remote control all did some weird and wonderful thing. Oh boy, I remember having to hide it many times, and each and every one of those times he found it again. Tom & Jerry turned some interesting colours during those times.

Unfortunately Jeff was away for Scott's birthday, something which Scott didn't forgive him for easily, so we had to make up for it as best we could. We never spoilt him, well I like to think we didn't, but we liked to make sure he was happy, it's only natural. But as far as I know he enjoyed himself as much as he could on his third birthday. He had a couple of friends round, he was in Nursery, and they had fun terrorising us adults.

I went to the clinic soon after that, as a check-up, and ended up finding out I was going to have another little boy. Scott was really happy about not having a sister, which was quite amusing. Jeff was home soon after that, and we had a nice family reunion at the Farm House. Things seemed a bit hectic, even though they weren't, but nevermind, it might've just been the fact that Scott was now becoming a 3ft energy mass who loved playing with toy rockets.

Once things had quietened down, as in when Scott was happily sitting playing with his toy rockets, Jeff turned to me and asked,

"Did you have your check-up at the clinic?"

"I certainly did. Young Scott's going to have a little brother. We'll have to think of a name for him." Jeff paused, I don't know whether it's because he was thinking or whether Scott had winded him by climbing onto his lap, for quite a while then said, quite plainly.

"Virgil!"

"That's an, unusual name. What made you think of that?" I said, thinking of the only person I knew who'd ever had that name, some old roman poet who we heard about in Latin in year nine.

"Well, we named Scott after one of the early astronauts, Malcom Scott Carpenter. Virgil - Virgil Grissom was on of the greatest of them all. He was one of the original seven US astronauts and became the second man to fly into space." I'll trust him on that one.

"Yeah, Gus Grissom was a real hero." Said Mr Tracy, walking back in from the kitchen with some drinks, "Unfortunately he died in a launch test fire with Ed White and Roger Chaffey."

"Then Virgil it will be." I said, with definite agreement. "It will be good to keep alive the name of such an important man." The last bit was more of keeping them happy, as I wasn't 100 percent sure of who he was, but he sounded like he was important and therefore I agreed with them. Before taking Scott out to look at the horses in the yard, as he was growing restless - this happens easily. I wonder what he'll think of having a little brother named Virgil...

I think he actually thought we were joking - or at least that's what the look on his face said when we'd agreed on calling his new brother Virgil - and didn't actually believe us until when he'd actually got his little brother and we were calling him Virgil. So with a three year old and a new baby I was glad I didn't have to worry about going back to work again...

Well, until Virgil got old enough to understand what poking was. Wars of which Scott would readily join in with. We, Mrs Tracy and I, soon discovered the easiest, and quickest, way of breaking these wars up was to supply Scott with a cookie or two. Which made Scott get up and walk off to go and eat it away from Virgil, and then to play with his rockets. Originally we tried supplying them both with food, Scott with cookies and seeing as though Virgil hadn't quite mastered the art of eating solids at that stage he got supplied with his juice bottle, which wasn't good as they both continued poking each other whilst eating and drinking, whilst making as much mess as possible.

As Scott was now able to copy words he heard one of us say, without realising, he was attempting to teach Virgil how to talk. Some of the words he was trying to teach him I don't know where they came from. Evidently he has very sharp hearing. I had to give him many talking's about how he wasn't supposed to know these words, especially about not teaching them to his younger brother. I don't think he ever listened to the last part. Well, he did, but only just enough to ensure we never caught him.

We didn't get much time to think about it really as Christmas was coming back around, which a) meant Scott put all efforts into teaching Virgil how to say "Santa" and b) we were al rushed off our feet preparing for Christmas day, which meant buying presents, food, and decorating the house. Decorating the house was fun. Scott could half remember what it had been like last year and was all too keen to help, whilst adding numerous amounts of sticky stars, which usually go onto presents as decoration, onto Virgil. He didn't really appreciate it, and got his own back by getting a stick on bow into Scott's hair. I remember the scream when he tried to pull it out. I couldn't help but think he deserved it, as it wasn't too difficult to get out, well, I'm sure Grandma - sorry, Mrs Tracy - has had enough experience to get most things out of a young boy's hair.

But the two boys had fun together decorating the lower branches of the Christmas tree, Scott put them on, whilst Virgil got them out of the box, well that's what it was like most of that half an hour when they were busy occupied. They both seemed very content, and unusually quiet. Maybe that's where Virgil's love for Art started, whenever Scott wasn't looking he seemed very intent on looking at the various decorations, but it's more likely he was just bored, as Scott didn't seem to be letting him do much else. I can't really see a 5 month old being that interested in Art - but I've seen those boys do some pretty wacky things before.

If we thought it would be quiet for Christmas, we were mistaken. We'd invited Nina over for Christmas, she was now 15. Actually it was usually the way, she usually came over for Christmas, as I doubted mother would bother changing her usual goings on just for one day of the year. No one ever minded, Nina got on well with Scott, well, as well as she could. Mr & Mrs Tracy never objected to her and neither did Jeff. You'd never actually look at Nina and the boys together and think she was their Aunty; she seemed more like their cousin.

Not that it mattered, as she knew how to keep them quiet whilst we cleared up or whatever. Which meant clearing up was quicker and therefore they were less likely to get bored. Not that I've ever seen Scott bored, if he does get near that he usually find the sofa makes a good adventure.

As wonderful as Christmas is you can't help but long for the piece and quiet that follows. When all everyone seems to want to do is sleep - I was all for that. But when you have a 3 year old and a 5 month old around it's not the easiest of tasks.

Time goes _way_ too quickly when you're having fun, the year went past very quickly, Scott's fourth birthday went quickly, and Virgil's first did too. Now they can both walk around and communicate in simple words. They had an interesting late Christmas present, in which I discovered that I was pregnant again. Scott overheard me telling Jeff, and soon told Virgil, who didn't understand. Scott only knew what we were talking about because he remembered the words. So we repeated what we did to Scott a couple of years ago - explaining that they were going to get a new brother or sister. We decided that we'd let it be a surprise this time. I really wanted a girl, but I didn't mind because I almost consider Nina one of my own, because I looked after her so much, but she's my sister.

It was another boy, we named him John. After John Glenn - the first American to fly round the Earth. Scott was 5, Virgil was 2 and we had another little baby. I'm surprised John survived as long as he did with Scott and Virgil as his older brothers...

Scott and Virgil were close, most of the time, and spend many days hunting mythical things, I'm sure more than once they'd come into dinner from the garden saying they were hunting for Aliens. I've always blamed that influence on Jeff, but at least they're amusing themselves. So I can look after John, whilst keeping half an eye on them. Most days it's nice enough to sit outside so whilst they're rummaging around in the bushes I can keep tabs on where they are whilst talking to Grandma - everyone accepts that as her name now, except Jeff obviously - and keeping John occupied or fed.

That was the least of the tricks they'd get up to, I know for a fact that those curtains did not fall down purely by themselves. What I don't know is who attempted to climb them and for what purpose.

It was one evening when I was sat outside with John, who seemed perfectly content in being half asleep on my knee when I heard someone pummelling the piano and a lot of shouting. That woke John up. He started crying, as most babies do when they wake up suddenly. I went back inside to find Virgil hitting the piano keys in an attempt to make a lot of noise and Scott shouting at him to stop. It wasn't difficult to get him to stop, but I had to rebuke Scott for some of the words he was using. Which Virgil then thought would be funny to copy. I don't think either of then have had such a lecture from me.

That's when we discovered Virgil's, erm, fascination with all things vaguely musical. He didn't mind being taught how to hit the keys gently to make noise and not have people yell at him for making an annoying lot of noise. But we had to have numerous rounds of the scale of middle C - because of it. Basically the only thing he could remember.

Scott, however, was all for pretending to shoot him with his toy gun if he didn't stop. He didn't get anywhere, except falling off the piano stool in the attempt. This, in all honesty, was quite amusing.

So days, weeks, months went by with laughter and family fun. Jeff and I attempted to teach Scott how to play Monopoly when he was 6, we didn't get anywhere so we stuck with simpler games such as Hungry Hippos and/or jigsaw puzzles.

Sooner than I remember I discovered yet again, and for the fourth time I was pregnant. Which Jeff found a wonderful Valentine's Day present - the birth of his fourth son. Gordon - named after Gordon Cooper again another early astronaut. John didn't appreciate not being the youngest any more. The boys ages were now: Scott was 8, Virgil was 5 and John was 3, and Gordon obviously just born. Gordon was premature by about a month - the only one we were worried about not surviving past a couple of weeks.

Scott had now been at primary school for quite a while now - or at least it's American equivalent, which I shall always call Primary - and was slowly but surely getting more and more homework, which he did not like. Virgil was just starting Primary and was not getting any homework except really simple things like bring in your favourite book or whatever. So at home it was just me John and Gordon with Grandma whilst Jeff took care of business stuff and Grandpa was out on the farm.

Again it was _just after_ things had gotten back into a nice routine when I found out that I was pregnant again. I gave up after the fifth - I decided that I would take measures to ensure that this wouldn't happen again - I thought four was a challenge enough - so let's make it five.

Alan was born right in between Scott and Gordon's birthdays - which neither appreciated. Having five children takes its toll on you, so for Gordon's party I was irritated and tired and for Scott's we had a new baby - which meant that he'd either have to have it out or have a quiet one. We named Alan after Alan B Shepard, America's first man in space.

Multitasking became a necessity after Alan was born. I usually had to feed both Alan and Gordon at similar times, Gordon was still quiet small - but had now started waking, which wasn't necessarily a good thing.

That was the worst year, once Alan turned one and started walking things quietened down. Because it meant that the eldest three were old enough to look after themselves if the occasion demanded and the youngest two could entertain themselves in as many ways possible and therefore did not have to keep me busy 24/7. More like 23/7, nah I'm just kidding, they kept me busy quite a lot though. I'd never have managed without Grandma's help, oh boy - with those five on the loose! You've got to be joking; they're all smallish masses of energy who seem intent upon causing as much mayhem as possible - as all young boys do.

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Cinn: Yay! I've finally finished this chapter - which took a lot longer than I thought. I really hope you all like the new version, because otherwise it means I have to write the last half of the original chapter five. So, please like, and please review to tell me what you think. And why can't we use symbols!  
Mentions:  
There are none - or at least no new ones, which I'm a tad annoyed about - but I'll get over it. Please review. 


	6. Boys Will be Boys

Disclaimer: See first chapter - it's there. Or at least it should be... Nor do I own Gameboy, or Nintendo or any other games console company... I own the one I bought though... 

Cinn: Now, I shall get this right and I shall not be distracted and I shall not get rushed. This is the problem with exams - they seriously screw your brain, and you're boredom threshold becomes even lower than it was. And stuff the American education system because I don't understand it - so I'm using the one I do understand - the English one - so sorry about that.

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Chapter 6: Reflection; Boys will be Boys

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My boys, I still find myself laughing at what they got up to when they thought my back was turned. Of course my back was not in fact turned as I was all too wary for things that they could get up to, myself being a pranker at heart. 

I remember back when Scott was about 1 he decided that it would be funny to barricade himself under the kitchen table, we only got him back out when he'd gotten kicked by accident when tickling Grandma behind her knee. She wasn't best pleased, and neither was he, let's leave it there.

Another time; someone, I can't remember who, had the bright idea to unleash him with the hosepipe to water the flowers - originally supervised. I don't remember anyone of us completely dry afterwards. Similar things happened whenever we got the paddling pool out.

Even when Virgil was born Scott kept up his tricks, occasionally including his brother in them. A lot of make-shift face paint got used, in the form of felt-tip pens. Luckily they were all of the washable variety. I remember thinking that I'd hate to see what would happen if either one of them discovered the joy of Spray-Mount Glue. Ironically the younger of the two - Virgil - became the artist of the five of them and probably used it a lot. Whether or not it was pay-back to many of the things Gordon did I don't know. I'd like to think that he'd at least included it in _one_ prank throughout his life.

Around the time of John being born Scott and Virgil had started exploring every inch of the garden - letting them out of the garden was under the category of: extreme danger - they could get to, even one time talking about finding buried treasure and another time talking about hunting aliens. Grandma was forever chasing them for the pots and pans they kept using for various let's-pretend games.

I also remember being the victim of a trap they set up during one of these that was supposedly for wild animals. This would be when John was 1, possibly just gone 2, no it was defiantly before his second birthday. I gave them a lecture about how they were lucky it was me and not their Grandma who would've skinned them alive if she'd tripped into it. Actually Virgil had tried to flee for it when he first realised what had happened, I easily caught him by the scruff of his neck, so he probably thought I'd skin them alive as well. They got the point, and made sure all their other ones were carefully placed where no adults could accidentally get into them.

Gordon - now he was always a trouble maker. I'm sure Scott taught him a little too much during the first couple of years of his life. They drove me mad together, well, not as bad as Gordon and Alan when they were about 5 and 6, now they were an ultimate double trouble pair. When together the cookie jar was usually under thread of invasion.

Oh, why did Scott end up chasing John and Virgil around the house with a ruler when he was 9? Oh yes, the younger two boys had decided it would be a good idea to lock him out of his room with pennies. That was my fault, I'd been trying to get the shed door to keep shut and had to resort to sticking pennies under it, until finding a better solution, John and Virgil happened to be present at the time. Gordon didn't appreciate his tower being knocked down by his eldest brother in the chase, Scott ended up running out of his room screaming when he woke up the next day because of the fake spider Gordon had planted.

Those boys - half the time I really did think they'd send me to an early grave. But I'd never have changed them for anything. One of the most chaotic times was around the summer when their ages were as follows: Scott was 11, Virgil was 7 (about to go 8), John was 5 (soon to go 6), Gordon was 3, and Alan was 2. So you can probably imagine the trouble they caused. Scott soon to be starting High School, and Gordon was just discovering the absolute wonders of glue, well anything sticky. That isn't any influence of mine at all... Insert shifty look here.

Most evenings were filled with Scott trying to do whichever homework he'd been landed with, until the holidays when he was still sat at the table only usually with his Gameboy, Virgil playing the piano until Scott shouted at him to stop because he couldn't concentrate, which usually didn't go down well with the younger of the two. John would, rather sensibly, sit in a window or somewhere half reading, half gazing out of said window his mind in cuckoo land. Gordon and Alan would be watching TV, or at least start off doing so until Gordon got fidgety and decided to pull some kinda of stunt. Gordon is the only 3 year old I've known that does not becomes entranced by Tom and Jerry - or at least in the same way as any other three year old seems too. Usually consisting of: tipping his drink over Alan, or turning the volume right up, or helping Scott stop Virgil playing the piano. Personally, I think all three were rather amusing options, until Alan started screaming in the first.

You may think that the boys didn't get along - the opposite is by far more accurate. Scott's Big-Brother mode could turn on very easily, as it transpired when he beat up two people in the year below him who where picking on Virgil. Then Virgil discovered that he could do the same for John; get Scott to sort it out. Explaining the difference between what was allowed and what was not allowed at school didn't meet universal approval. As I had three small boys shouting at me that it wasn't fair because they were being attacked in the first place so what was wrong with evening it out? I explained that there were other ways of "making it even" but they didn't seem to think it as even enough. I know at one point during this shouting match Jeff walked in and took enough time to note what was going on and walked out again.

"Look, I know it probably seems more fair to get back at them like that, but -"

"Mum! School doesn't care. They don't do anything so we have to sort it out ourselves!" An outraged Scott shouted back at me,

"Do you want to get yourself chucked out?"

"No, but they won't, they don't chuck bullies out, so why would they chuck someone out who's just stopping them getting their brother?"

"He's got a point, Mum." John said, might be young, but still smart.

"I know he has, but you do not need to sink to their level to stop them."

"Sink to their level?" Virgil asked, looking puzzled.

"Doing what they do, basically making you look as bad as them by behaving like them." Scott explained, "But that's not what we were doing!"

"Isn't it? From what I was told you gave out two black eyes, Scott." I replied, he opened his mouth to reply but I cut across him, "I don't care what you think; I am not having you chucked out, which I'm afraid means abiding by School's rules. They include 'no fighting'."

They went reasonably quietly after that, but they didn't like it. Well, not until they learnt that they could get the bullies suspended by talking to teachers.

That summer, middle of July, Jeff and I had decided that we'd go for a picnic, with all the boys of course, and Grandma and Grandpa.

What a splendid day it was - most of it. We had to walk for quite a bit to get to the field we'd decided was best. Gordon and Alan didn't appreciate this, Alan was carried most of the way and Gordon just lumped it, not that he didn't try to get carried. Sorting out sandwiches was also interesting. Before John we used to just bring a huge selection and everyone would just take their pick. But as John seemed to have more allergies and eating preferences than you could shake a stick at, we had to make sure he got ones that he could/would eat. It wasn't too difficult as long as no one else stole his, as Gordon loved cheese more than all the others and as there was an extra supply because of John, he was all too eager to help John eat them. Not that John needed the help.

We got many pictures of that day, they're all good ones, even if you can't see John too clearly on a few because of his hat, the same with Alan, and Gordon was usually blurred as he doesn't do keeping still for longer than a second too well. I'm used to that, not one of the boys mastered that until they got to 4, Alan included which meant a few of him were blurred too, and even then hadn't completely. But you can tell it is Gordon for two reasons, 1) you can usually see all the other boys and 2) he's the only redhead.

When the food had been finished, or mostly finished, the football game started. A very interesting version as there were only five of them playing, not counting Gordon running across the pitch every once in a while. So it was two a side and one in goal, goalie had to remain neutral and stop anything that went that way. Well, that was the theory, which didn't take into account a three and a two year old who only half wanted to join in.

Basically it was all great until Alan got tired. A tired Alan was usually a grumpy Alan, and a grumpy Alan will usually do a lot of complaining. This happened once he got hit round the head, by accident, by a football. This meant everyone had to have a go at calming him down, no one managed it. So we had to pack up then and head back home. Which was a rather bad end to a great day - but at least the rest of it had been good.

The next day started with a few loud shouts: A delighted scream, a shout of shut-up and then a door banging open and a 7 year old figure bouncing onto mine and Jeff's bed. The mental note I made that time: Next time Virgil enters an Art Competition make sure that the winning announcement is not discovered at 8 in the morning on a Saturday by said entrant.

"I WON!" Came the shout from the delighted boy less than a metre away from me.

"Shush Virg; your brothers are still asleep, as was I a moment ago." I said, half asleep, slowly waking up. You've got to hand it to Jeff, he's able to sleep through practically anything, but he always knows if something is wrong and will wake up, strange.

"But Mum!" He whined, he liked being able to talk about having won something, especially when it came to Art and Music.

"It's 8 in the morning; you know what Alan is like when he's woken up this early." I said, getting up, he'd never go back to bed and I'd never get back to sleep. "C'mon, let's go get you a nice celebratory special breakfast, eh?" I continued, holding out my hand indicating him to follow. He did so with a very pleased look on his face.

He learnt one lesson that day, which was to never, ever wake his brothers up before 8:30 unless it was school or an emergency. They didn't like the fact that he'd screamed the fact that he'd won at 8 in the morning. I'm sure Scott tipped Gordon to switch the salt and sugar many times that day.

However it did made a change from most mornings having to wake up to various screams of "Gordon!" which is what happened most mornings, until both me and Jeff had to lecture him about waking people up so early in the morning.

It was also a summer of what can we do for days out? Museums were out; Scott was old enough to understand why we went but didn't have to like it and usually made that known on the way. He was alright once we got there. Virgil and John were at the age where as long as it's vaguely interesting they'll be intrigued. Alan and Gordon were at the age when standing and/or sitting still for a while weren't an option.

The park was a good option but it got boring after a few times as did activity centres, apparently. May I ask what happened to 'lets-pretend' games? OK Scott would have grown out of that by 11, but Virgil was the next eldest and he was 7 (8 by the end of the holidays). So things were a bit dull - except Gordon's pranks - except for the days when we all went to some amusement park or whatever. But in all honesty I think Gordon's pranks - or attempts at pranks at his present age - were more amusing.

But the holidays passed quickly enough, and the boys had the joy of school again. Scott was looking forward to school (oddly enough) because he was going to High School and it would be all new and different. Virgil and John weren't because it meant that they were without older brother to look after them, and because they were used to Primary School anyway. John less so as he'd only had one year there. Gordon and Alan were back in Nursery every morning.

I thought I'd had to go into School often enough to see the Head when Scott, Virgil and John were there (Primary School this was) but I think Gordon and Alan out did all their totals when they got there. So many more lectures about School rules were given out. Gordon likes pranks, and Alan hates rules - the connection is pretty easy to make. Gordon was the brains behind the plots and Alan carried them out.

Whilst Alan and Gordon were at Primary School, together - they weren't as bad for the year when they were in different schools, it was practically everyday that one or both of them arrived home with another explaining their latest exploit and a request to have their creativeness put into more academic subjects. Like, 'Alan has now used up the schools supply of yellow paint to "decorate" the hamster cage' or 'Gordon and his brother Alan recently took it upon themselves to re-house any worms they found outside into pupils desk trays' then a request to explain the purposes of art classes and music lessons and other creative outlets instead of "disrupting" the school's nice, quite peaceful atmosphere. Let's just say I didn't exactly encourage the academic part, I simply tried to persuade them to use a bit more discretion and stop getting caught so much.

It was a lucky thing that by that time Scott, Virgil and John had all learnt how to avoid detentions, getting caught etc and I didn't have to sort them out whilst dealing with the youngest two.

High School was when you first saw the individuality in each of the boys the strongest. Scott's true intelligence (or stupidity as Gordon always said) was shown, especially in subjects like Maths, English, ICT and humanity subjects, whilst he became part of the "in-crowd". I didn't like the thought of him being friends with people that only liked him for being good at sports or good looking or whatever and not for his personality, but he never complained so I didn't get involved.

Virgil was one of those people that are never defined into a group, except sometimes the Reject group, but he wasn't really a reject because he had a lot of friends from classes and a small group of very good friends that he talked to all the time. Also his full creativeness and mechanical skills were shown during High School. He, obviously, excelled in Art, Music and Tech.

John was the Geek. Loved maths and sciences and so did all his friends, most weekends they did voluntary science projects to be put on displays and stuff. He was also the dreamer and the quietest of all of the boys. In his second year he got really into Athletics and Gymnastics, and was good at both, he was usually running for sports days whether it was just his school or lots of different ones - he was good at it too. He and Virgil were the only two that didn't think that having good friends that were girls was a weird thing - well during their High School years.

Gordon - need I say it? - was the prankster. He was in the same sort of group as Virgil, they were pretty similar, but was more widely popular and got into trouble a lot more and wasn't that interested in Art. He used to tell me what he'd come up with each time, I remember doing half of them myself. Gordon was into subjects like Tech, Science and PE, especially swimming. He was the water-baby, could swim on his own by the time he could walk. He won many swimming competitions, even champion at the Olympic Freestyle when he was 16. I was always so proud of him for that, I was proud of him anyway, but that was one of his finest moments.

Alan was a combination of all his brothers, in his way, but completely different at the same time. Sporty, intelligent, disregarded most rules, inventive. If ever there was someone difficult to place it was Alan. Popular, but didn't care what the "popular" people thought of him, very good at slipping out of tight spots and getting his own way if he was in trouble. He excelled in subjects like English, PE and Mechanics (Tech). I feel sorry for Alan, because he only got a couple of years where he wasn't being overshadowed by any of his brothers; those were all his final years somewhere, until he went to university.

I remember driving them to School on Alan's first day, if he thought he was worried when he stepped into the car - he was much more worried when he stepped out of the car. Gordon (second year), John (fourth year) and myself were there, Gordon and Alan were in the back together. Scott and Virgil had left and Jeff was working.

"So Sprout, your first day..." John said, turning round, with a smug look that is rarely seen on his face.

"Yes." Alan replied guardedly, he was used to all his brothers' tricks.

"Not worried? It's a big School Sprout, and you're not exactly the biggest in your year..."

"I'll be fine."

"You shouldn't be too sure Al, I you'll be surprised how much dinner money I've had stolen. You'll want to be careful; you're no bigger than me on my first day, just so you know it's much easier to hand it over without getting the black eyes." Gordon said, off-handly. Alan had turned very white.

"Yeah, it was OK when I started; I had Scott to beat up bullies." John continued, "But don't get any ideas, I'm no match for anyone who'd try." I was shaking my head, remembering the lecture I'd given Scott on beating people up.

Gordon nodded earnestly, whilst Alan stared determinedly out of the window still a very pale shade of white. A few minutes later we'd arrived and I saw them all out. Alan didn't move.

"C'mon Al, you don't want to be late on your first day."

"I don't want to get hurt."

"They were only pulling your leg, Hun, you'll be fine. None of your brothers have come home injured because of bullies." He didn't look convinced, "They'll look out for you, trust me." I added, he nodded, slightly less pale than he had been and jumped out with a mutter of "thanks". I noticed that not soon after he'd walked through the gates he'd started talking to someone his own age who looked just as terrified. I made a mental note to make sure that Gordon and John got a bit of what was coming too them when Alan was present some time, a spider in their breakfast bowls seemed like a good idea at the time. I borrowed the spiders off Gordon. Jeff and I had a difference in opinion as to whether I should've done that or not, he thinks I should've just told John and Gordon off by explaining it all.

High School and my boys was not the best mix. Yes, they were intelligent, very intelligent, but did they like rules? No they did not, some less than others. What's more because they all got on so well they kept giving each other "bright" ideas. Like Virgil informed Gordon on the different sorts of glues, he regretted that when he got covered in various different things with the wallpaper paste. And Scott didn't appreciate Gordon's general knowledge about dyes and paints which Virgil gave him, Scott ended up with bright green hair for a week. He didn't know until his father told him, Jeff was always more able to keep a straight face when dealing with Gordon's pranks - I found them far too amusing. Then there were the many modified remote controlled cars - Scott's influence no doubt - that were usually very difficult to spot and very easy to step on, fall over etc. Gordon and Alan usually only used them against people when we were all sat at the table and to use legs as an obstacle course.

Ah - good times.

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Cinn: Ok, madness ensures. I hate the timelines I have available! They don't tell me what I need to know. Well, never mind, I got enough to make accurate guesses. So a whole chapter dedicated to Lucille talking about her five sons. This chapter has been annoying me because for some reason I seem to have developed a case of writers block and therefore not much got done very quickly, so it might seems a bit jumpy or something in places, I do apologise but it's because it didn't get written in a chronological order but whenever I thought of a part and wrote it in.  
Also if I seem rude and don't reply to any reviews, it's not 'cause I don't appreciate them but I'm off on holiday. So the next chappie will also be slow in arriving because I won't have my computer on me.  
Mentions:  
**starlight wishes** - actually from the comics I "borrowed" off my sister both deaths were originally conceived from the TV show. One annual suggests she dies from childbirth and in the comics they have the "complete thunderbirds story" which has her dying in an avalanche. So yeah, a lil confusing. I hope I get enough interaction in this, I tried! S'ok you missed it, you came back, and that's good. Thanks for reviewing.  
**i'mpeckable** - actually, spellchecker is only a recent thing, all my other fics (but one) have not had any interference from one, which has been annoying and gotten a lot of angry reviews about my spelling - which is appalling without help. I wanted to get all the births into one chappie and then backtrack slightly in this one and hopefully cover a lot of the boys growing up in this. Please don't kill me with sporks for the speed of the last chappie. I hope I made that up to you with this one. And would I be in a hurry to kill my main character off - actually, quiet possibly. Thanks for reviewing. 


	7. Loose ends tied

Disclaimer: See first chapter - it's there. Or at least it should be... 

Cinn: OK, I have spent a long, long time away from this fic, and I still have no idea where I'm going. So we'll see what happens. After staring at a blank screen for 10 minutes I decided to clear up a few more things from earlier on in the fic and then continue onwards because I had no better ideas.

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Chapter 7: Reflection; Forgive and Forget.

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:Hi Lucille!  
How's everything? Everything's great over here, everyone's fine. Nina tells me to tell you she's settled in fine in her new job, she says she'll email you as soon as she gets an internet connection down there - an Archaeological dig, she's done well. 

Oh yeah, guess what's happened? After, oh how long is it now? 15 years if I'm correct, after 15 years of arguing like hell Debbie and Mel have finally made up! How great is that? And it's not a plot of Debbie's, because she's now about to get married to her boyfriend, you'll probably remember him, they started going out just before you moved to America, Jack. So after all these years of hell they've made up completely! I even saw them out for coffee the other day. Remember when it was at its worst? When Debbie was threatening to ruin all of Mel's special days and everything, oh god, it seems comical now.

So yeah, they've made up, and Debbie wanted me to tell you about her and Jack getting married because she thinks you'd ignore her email if she sent you one herself and then you wouldn't know, and she apologises for being a complete bitch about everything when you two were last in contact with each other. You and Jeff are invited of course, and Mr and Mrs Tracy and your boys (I still can't believe you have five kids!) are invited to the after-do. Debbie wants you to contact her ASAP about it.

Oh, and I'm pregnant with my first child, I really hope it's a girl, but I'm not overly bothered. Three months now, so it should be born around March/April. I'm still annoyed that you couldn't come to our wedding, but I guess you had a valid excuse, having your fourth child three days before.

That's about it for now, everyone's fine and everything and everyone says "Hi!" and I hope to hear from you soon,  
Love Jade.:

My reaction to that email was this: Oh. My. God. I think I was actually sat there fore five minutes letting it sink in. It was October, middle of the week, so all the boys were back at School/Nursery. Jeff was at home that day; I turned around and said "What do you think the chances are of Debbie and Mel making up?"

"Next to none, why'd you ask?" He replied, looking up from his paper.

"They have." He didn't believe me. "Jade says that now Debbie's going to marry Jack she's forgiven Mel completely!" He actually got up at this point and read Jade's email.

"Are we taking the boys to the after-do?"

"If you think it wise..." I replied, "Scott, Virgil and John would be perfectly well behaved, and I guess I could coax Gordon and Alan into behaving themselves..."

Well, I wasn't too wrong. They were simply entertaining themselves, in the loudest way possible. Actually, Gordon ended up with a camera being chased by Virgil all evening. I don't know why, I never got the pictures off him; I think Scott stepped in at some point and deleted them. But for all I know Gordon could still have them to this day.

Aside from that they could've have been better behaved...for them.

Everything was normal until Jade's first child, a little girl whom they called Maria, I went over to see her and she was a quiet little thing, small too. Nina was there too, with her new boyfriend, and very happy. She told me how mother was, not that I cared overly, and apparently she's still on the booze and nights out.

So practically everything is normal, apart from Debbie and Mel's new attitude to each other, it's quite amazing. The four of us went out for dinner on my last night in England and I've never known us all get on so well.

I was glad to return to America though, after being greeted by five frantic small boys and their relieved father.

After that things went normally, all the boys moved from Junior School to High School, and then one by one to university. Though there were times when we worried about their grades, usually when we couldn't find their report cards. I once found one of Gordon's crumpled up in his socks which had just been washed. Luckily he admitted his results and had only taken such drastic measures so his brothers wouldn't find them because he hadn't done as well as they had done in his year. But he'd done ok, Gordon wasn't the academic type.

When his brothers went to University Gordon took it upon himself to "welcome" them to their new rooms. This is why I personally think he didn't go to University but went to work practically and study underwater.

When Scott went to Oxford he simply made a few automated wake-up calls for him until Scott figured out how to turn them off. When Virgil went to Denver he left some mice in one of the drawers, unfortunately his paper drawer so he had no paper at the beginning of term. And when John went to Harvard he smeared ink on his telescope and John didn't know until his roommate told him about it.

Therefore it was tradition to pass down the right of 'getting even with Gordon' down to the next eldest Tracy in the house. So Scott told Virgil what to do, Virgil told John what to do and John told Alan what to do to get even with Gordon. Scott told Virgil to rewire Gordon's alarm clock so it beeped once every hour so that he'd wake up but not know what woke him. Virgil told John to deposit a spider in Gordon's room (I dunno where they found it, but it wasn't the smallest one I've ever seen) and John told Alan to dye all of Gordon's swimsuits horribly embarrassing colours for him, pink seemed to be the favourite colour.

Scott had finished his Oxford studies and Astronaut and had joined the Air Force by the time Gordon had finished High School. Gordon didn't go to university but decided to start training with the WASPs after winning his Olympic Gold Medal. Alan hoped to be able to go to Colorado.

So by this point in my story all my boys had practically matured (yes, you did hear correctly) or at least started to and had some idea of what they wanted to do when they'd finished education. Something which I hadn't decided until I'd actually got to the point of having to decide.

I was so happy for them all, and so proud that I didn't even think that anything would change so dramatically.

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Cinn: Well I didn't think it would be right to kill her off in this chapter. So you'll have to wait for that, when I actually know where I'm going to go with the chapter, because I didn't know where I would end up going with this one. I apologise if I have the names of any colleges/universities wrong. Hope you liked it, please review.  
Mentions:  
**Boleyn** - Thanks, that's all I have to say. And sorry I took a while to update. 


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